Do you care about a fair and just world?
Is it fair and just to blame one single man as responsible for the current economic woes of the Greek people? In Greece today, the mainstream narrative about the debt crisis and the subsequent austerity measures holds that “Greece was driven into the memorandum and austerity regime… by a fraud that was perpetrated against the Greek people and the country of Greece.”, and that Andreas Georgious is the main perpetrator of this fraud.
Is it fair and just to try a man three times for the same alleged crime? Andreas Georgiou has been tried and acquitted twice for the main charge against him (he is accused of inflating size of the the Greek deficit and causing €171 billion in damage to the Greek economy). See this compilation from the International Statistical Institute that reviews the main charge, acquittals and reversals of acquittals, in addition to summarizing the complex legal history (involving a number of separate cases).
Do you care about accurate data to guide decision-makers, reveal the state of the economy, and ensure an informed democratic society?
What would happen if statisticians were afraid to produce statistics that reflect unwelcome news for a country or its government? Organizations like the one Andreas Georgiou headed (ELSTAT) are responsible for providing reliable, useful and objective statistical information to guide the decisions of policy makers, international organizations, and private economic decision makers, as well as the public in exercising its democratic control of the government. Using words from the Eurostat webpage, “Democratic societies do not function properly without a solid basis of reliable and objective statistics.” The persecution of Andreas Georgiou creates a terrible precedent, increasing the risks for objective and impartial statistical production in countries around the world, and even undermining the international financial system.
Do you care about the fate of Andreas at a personal level?
Are you a friend, colleague or classmate of Andreas? We expect that many people who come to this website have a personal connection to Andreas; colleagues, classmates, family friends. You know this man as a thoughtful, humble man who cares deeply about Greece and was simply doing his job during a time of crisis to help Greece and the Greek people.. These trials are an immense strain for Andreas, and for his family. Andreas deserves your support.
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Speech on pulpit, Selma, AL, March 8, 1965